In My Daughter's Eyes
by Melissa Brooks
Summary: *AU* Dani has a hart time accepting her new father when she finds out about his past with Marty.
1. Chapter 1

In My Daughter's Eyes

AN: This story is written from Todd's point of view.

I held Tea's hand as we walked into the apartment to find Dani. My hands were sweating and I could feel my heart thumping against my chest in rapid succession. I was pretty certain that I was on the brink of a panic attack.

Tea had told Dani that I was her father and I was frightened that she would never accept me. Tea and I was on my way to see her and talk to her. I had to find a way to tell her about my criminal past before she found out in some other way.

"Dani," Tea called out as we entered the apartment, but there was nothing but silence to answer us.

I looked around the room and paused when I saw the article that was up on the screen. It was an old article from the rape trial. "She knows..." I gasped out. I wanted to be the one to explain to her what I had done and why. I thought that if I had explained it then I could find a way to make her understand that I wasn't that same man any longer.

"We have to find her."

"I know, I'm going to call Matthew. Maybe he knows where she is."

My phone rang and I picked it up when I realized that it was Starr.

"Dad, Dani's here. She's really upset and wants to spend the night with Cole and me. I just didn't want you or Tea to worry about where she is."

"Okay Starr, I'll tell Tea, I love you," I whispered as I breathed a sigh of relief as I hung up the phone.

"Tea, that was Starr. Dani's with her."

"Thank god, let's go. We need to talk this through as a family," Tea said as she grabbed my hand and led me towards the exit.

XOXOXOXO

"Are you sure about this Tea, maybe we should give Dani time to deal with all of this," I stated as I walked up the stairs to Starr's apartment. I felt as if I was walking the Green Mile. It was as if every step led me closer to my destruction.

"We have to at least try and talk to her about this tonight," Tea said as she squeezed my hand for encouragement with one hand and knocked on Starr's door with the other one.

"Tea, dad, maybe this isn't such a good time," Starr said as she opened the front door.

"Dani, I know that you're upset and confused, but we need to talk about this," Tea said as she spotted our daughter sitting on the couch.

Tea and I walked into the living room as Starr shut the door.

"There's nothing that I want to talk to you about and certainly not with him," she shouted as she glared at me.

"Dani...please give Todd a chance, he's not the same man that you've read about. I know that this is really hard for you, but there's another side to him," Tea pleaded as tears spilled down her cheeks.

"Tea's right Danny. It was hard for me when I found out what our father did to Cole's mom, but eventually I came to realize that there's just as many good things about him then there are bad, and he really has changed since then."

"I know that you're just trying to help, but it's different for you Starr. I know exactly what he did to Marty, because I lived it."

"What?" I gasped out. This couldn't be happening...maybe this was just a bad dream that I was waking up from, only I knew I never would. I stared into my daughter's eyes and saw the same pain, hatred and anger that I had often seen in Marty's eyes.

"I know exactly how it feels to be pinned to a bed, and have something pushed down your throat so that you can't scream for help. I know what it's like to feel weak and powerless as some asshole forces himself into you and invades your soul and body with his disgusting presence."

"What are you trying to say Dani?" Tea said as she took a step closer to our daughter.

"I'm trying to say that I know exactly what Todd put Marty through, because I've been there. I was raped," Dani confessed as she burst into tears.

XOXOXO

"I was raped," Dani confessed as she burst into tears.

I felt sick as my worst fears were confirmed. Some sick bastard had stolen her innocence the way I stole Marty's. How would she ever be able to look at me with anything but hatred and disgust?

"Why didn't you tell me?" Tea asked as she wrapped her arms around Dani.

"Why would I, when you've made a career out of defending bastards just like him?" Dani asked as she pulled away from her. "How could you love Todd given his disgusting history with Marty? How could you defend him even after he forced Marty to fall in love with him and he raped her all over again?"

"I know that you don't want to believe this, but the good in Todd outweighs the bad. Please Dani...I know that if you give him a chance you'll come to love him just as much as I do."

"I will never love him. I can't even stand being in the same room with him. You disgust me," Dani said as she turned and glared at me.

"Who hurt you Dani?" I asked. I needed a name so that I could find him and torture him the way that he tortured my daughter.

"Why? Do you want to congratulate him for a job well done?"

"No, he needs to pay for what he did to you," I said softly as I cringed against her hateful accusation. "You need to press charges against him so that he never hurts anybody else again.

"Isn't that a bit hypocritical of you considering that you never paid for what you did to Marty. Well don't worry Todd, Spencer will never be able to hurt anybody else again."

"What do you mean? What happened to him?" Tea asked.

"He tried to rape me again and my friend Tommy hit him over the head with a fire poker. He's in a coma and there's very little chance that he'll ever wake up again," Dani explained.

"Good," I said.

"I can't talk about this anymore and especially not with him," Dani shouted as she ran into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

"I think that you should go dad," Starr stated.

"Yeah, I know. Are you going to come with me Tea?"

"I want to stay with Dani...she needs me."

"I know, take care of our daughter," I said as I gave her a hug and walked out of the apartment.


	2. Chapter 2

I went for a walk on the docks and ended up on the pier. I felt hopeless and a sinking despair that I hadn't felt since Marty learned the truth about who I really was and left me.

Dani was right, I was the same kind of monster that had hurt her and she hated me for it. I had lost her before I had even gotten the chance to know her and I had no one but my self to blame. I stared at the water and I knew what I had to do for Dani and Marty's sake. If I died, then they would be finally free from me. I closed my eyes and was ready to fall into the icy river waters when I heard her angelic voice behind me.

"Don't jump," she said.

"I don't deserve to live after the disgusting things that I've done to you. You said so yourself on the roof of the palace hotel."

"I was wrong...the ironic thing is I never wanted you to jump...not really. The only thing that I wanted was to be free of my feelings for you, but I've realized that you're death isn't going to set me free, nothing will and I'm not even sure if that's what I want anymore."

"What are you saying Marty?"

"I'm saying that I need you in my life and if you jump into that water then I'll jump right in after you."

"Why? You hate me and why wouldn't you? All I have ever done is hurt you. So why would you care if I live or die?"

"I've saved your life before...I gave you my own blood to do it. I hated you so much back then, and there was a tiny part of me that wanted to walk away and let you die but I couldn't because there's something inside of you that's worth saving. There's something inside of you that I just can't help but love despite all of the terrible things that you have done. Please take a step back from the ledge that you're on," Marty said as she grabbed my hand.

"Tell me what's wrong," Marty encouraged as I stepped back from the ledge for her.

"Dani hates me and I can't blame her when I hate myself."

"Dani is adjusting. Her entire world was turned upside down when she found out that you are her father instead of Ross. You need to just give her time and she'll come to accept you and love you as well."

"She's never going to love me or accept me in her life. She knows that I raped you and she's never going to forgive me for it, not when the same things been done to her," Todd explained.

"I see," Marty gasped as her eyes flooded with pain and I knew that she was thinking about the night that I had violated her.

"Forever's a long time. I know that she can eventually forgive you, after all I have...I forgive you Todd," Marty whispered.

I could hear my heart beating loudly inside of me as tears streamed down my face. I had wanted her forgiveness for so long and to actually hear her say the words was overwhelming. I felt a peace, happiness and hope for the future that I hadn't felt in such a long time.

XOXOXO

"You've forgiven me for everything?" I asked.

"I have and I think it's time that you forgive yourself."

"I don't know if I can do that," I replied. I had hated myself for so many years and I wasn't sure if I could put the past behind me the way that Marty had.

Images of Spring Fling began to bombard my mind as the thunder roared in the distance and the rain showered down on us.

"Let it go Todd, it's in the past," Marty stated as she wrapped her arms around me and kissed me.

"What was that for?" I asked.

"I was trying to distract you from focusing on the demons of our past. Now shut up and kiss me and all of our demons will disappear," Marty stated as she kissed me again.

I felt the electric tingles coursing through my body as Marty pressed her body against mine. I fisted my hands through her hair as my tongue danced with hers. Marty had been right, I was no longer plagued by the ghosts of our past as I could only focus on how good it felt to hold her in my arms again.

"Are you cold?" I whispered as I felt Marty trembling against me.

"A little bit. I should go home and get warm by the fire. Do you want to come with me?" Marty asked.

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be," I stated as I took Marty's hand.

I held Marty's hand as we drove back to her place. We drove to her house in silence and I nervously sat on her couch as she started a fire.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked as she came and sat down next to me. The last thing that I would ever want to do is hurt her again.

"I'm sure that I no longer want the scars of the past to keep me from being happy. I'm sure that I love you...I can't deny that any more, I won't."

"I love you too Marty, despite everything, I've always loved you," I whispered as our lips pressed against each other.

I gently lifted Marty's shirt over her head as I left a trail of kisses on her smooth, bare skin. She left her own trail of kisses on my skin as she unbuttoned my shirt.

She unzipped her pants and let them fall to the ground as she unbuttoned my pants.

"You're so beautiful," I whispered as I slowly lowered her to the ground and traced her luscious lips. I let my finger trace down her curves as I placed my mouth over her nipples and sucked.

"Ohhh Todd," she moaned as my finger reached her damp pussy.

"I need you so much," she whispered.

I worked my mouth over her breast until I found the sensitive spot on her neck. I sucked and gently bit her neck as our souls collided.

"Oh god," I cried out. Being with her was the ecstasy that I had been missing for so long now.

I thrusted in and out of her as she moaned and writhed in pleasure. "Oh Toddy," she cried out as she reached her climax. The flow against her juices pushed me over the edge and I joined her in the bliss of ecstasy.

I held Marty in my arms as there was a sudden knock on her front door.

"Miss Saybrooke, it's Dani, Tea's daughter. I know it's late, but I really need to talk to you," I heard my daughter say.


End file.
